GB2164613A

GB2164613A - Vectorable exhaust nozzle for gas turbine engines

Info

Publication number: GB2164613A
Application number: GB08420798A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harold Alan Scrace
Original assignee: Rolls Royce PLC
Current assignee: Rolls Royce PLC
Priority date: 1984-08-16
Filing date: 1984-08-16
Publication date: 1986-03-26
Also published as: US4660767A; CA1242589A; GB2164613B

Description

1 GB 2 164 613 A 1

SPECIFICATION

Vectorable exhaust nozzle for gas turbine engines The invention relates to gas turbine engine exhaust nozzles, more particularly, an apparatus for exhaust deflection while maintaining a constant exhaust nozzle area of rectangular shape.

A desirable feature of modern aircraft is that the jet efflux may be deflected in a selected direction in order to achieve high manoeuvrability and vertical or short take-off and landing (V1STOL). The most note-worthy example is that employed by the Harrier's Rolls- Royce Pegasus engine.

The Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine utilizes four svivelling nozzles, two of which are placed toward the front of the aircraft on each side of the fuselage for the passage of by-pass air. The other two are located toward the rear of the aircraft for pass- ing the hot efflux gases from the turbine. By rotating the nozzles from a direction pointing rearward to a position pointing downward, the thrust produced by the nozzles may be selectively directed respectively forward for cruise or upwards for vertical take-off and landing.

Instead of discharging the efflux of hot gases from the engine's turbine through a bifurcated jet pipe, and hence from two vectorable nozzles, it is also known to provide a single jet pipe with a vec- torable nozzle to protrude forwards or upwards directed thrust.

The invention, as claimed, seeks to provide a vectorable exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine in which the flow area is not varied as a direct re- sult of vectoring the nozzle.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 illustrates schematically a plan view of a gas turbine engine fitted with a vectorable exhaust 105 nozzle constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the exhaust nozzle as described by the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates the exhaust nozzle viewed on 110 arrow A in Figure 2.

Figure 4 depicts the exhaust nozzle schematically in various vectoring positions.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a gas tur- bine aero engine 10 of the by-pass type. The engine comprises, in flow series, an axial flow low pressure compressor 11, an axial flow high pressure compressor 12, a combustion chamber 13, a high pressure turbine 14 which drives the H.P.

compressor 12, a low pressure turbine 15 which drives L.P. compressor 11 and a jet pipe 16 terminating in a vectorable nozzle 17 constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The L.P. compressor 11 supplies compressed air to the H.P. compressor 12 and the a plenum chamber 18 which forms part of the by-pass duct 19 and which terminates in two vectorable nozzles 20.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the nozzle 17 comprises a fixed duct 21, a cowl 22 and a flap 23 con- nected to the cowl 22 by two link members 24. The cowl 22 comprises two side walls 22a and a curved wall 22b that interconnects the side walls 22a. The fixed duct 21 is attached, in flow series, to the jet pipe 16 which is shaped so as to convert the flow of exhaust gas from a circular section to one of rectangular section. The downstream end of the fixed duct 21 is scarfed such that the lower down stream edge is nearer to the jet pipe 16 than the upper edge.

The flap 23 is connected to the lower edge of the fixed duct 21 at the downstream end by means of a hinge 25 such that the flap 23 may rotate about a first horizontal transverse axis located along the hinge 25. The flap 23 is of similar width to the fixed duct 21 and extends between the side walls 22a of the cowl 22.

The two link members 24 are located on the two corners of the flap 23 which are opposite to the hinge 25, and each link member 24 is mounted on a bearing 26 to allow rotation of the operating link 24 about that bearing 26 in a vertical plane parallel to the engine centreline. The other ends of the link members 24 are mounted in the same way to the cowl 22.

The cowl 22, which is slightly wider than the fixed duct 21, is mounted on two bearings 27 at tached to each side of the fixed duct 21. The cowl 22 will, therefore, be able to rotate about a second horizontal transverse axis located upstream of the first transverse axis. The cowl 22 is shaped such that in all vectoring positions a close fit is preserved between the cowl 22 and the top downstream edge of the fixed duct 21, the two walls of the fixed duct 21 and the sides of the flap 23. Thus a nozzle is formed such that its exit is defined by a bottom side (the flap 23), two sides (the side walls 22a of the cowl 22) and a top side (the interconnecting wall 22b of the cowl 22) or the roof of the fixed duct 21 when the nozzle is in the rearward pointing position.

The cowl 22 may be actuated by a worm and quadrant 28 or any suitable means such as a hydraulic ram. The centre of the quadrant coincides with the second transverse axis.

Referring to Figure 4, the thrust may be selectively directed by rotating the cowl 22 about the second transverse axis and causing the flap 23 to rotate about the first transverse axis in the same direction by means of the link members 24. The distance between the downstream edge of the wall 22b of the cowl 22 and the downstream edge of the flap 23 is kept constant by the link members 24, thus maintaining a constant nozzle exit area, during the vectoring movements.

The relative locations of the first and second transverse axes are so chosen to ensure that in all vectored positions a smooth transition in direction of exhaust flow is achieved. In some circumstances placing the transverse axis about which the flap 23 rotates too far downstream will result in a conver- gent/divergent nozzle being formed in certain vec toring positions. Furthermore, placing the first axis too far upstream will, in most circumstances, in crease the nozzle exit area because longer operat ing links 24 are required. If the links 24 become too 2 GB 2 164 613 A 2 long a divergent nozzle may result in some posi tions.

If desired, means which do not form part of this invention could be provided for varying the exit area of the nozzle independently of the vectoring 70 movement of the nozzle.

Whilst the nozzle described in this specification is of rectangular section, it is possible to depart from this shape if desired.

Claims

1. A vectorable exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine having an exhaust orifice and comprising a fixed structure including a fixed duct, a cowl further comprising two side walls and a deflector wall which extends between the side walls, said sidewalls being pivotally attached to the fixed structure to facilitate rotation of the cowl about a horizontal axis, transverse to an exhaust stream issuing from the duct, from an upper posi tion to a lower depending position in which the ex haust stream is deflected downwards, a flap pivotably attached to the lower down stream edge of the fixed duct for rotation about a horizontal axis transverse to the exhaust stream, an actuation means for rotating the cowl and flap, wherein at least one link member is pivotably at tached at one end to the cowl and similarly at tached at the other end to the flap.

2. A nozzle as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the downstream edge of the flap, the upper down stream edge of the cowl and the one or more link members are in a plane which is perpendicular to the direction of exhaust stream issuing from the nozzle.

3. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the sidewalls of the cowl are pivotably attached to the fixed structure at a lower region of the fixed duct.

4. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the axis about which the flap is rotatable is downstream of the axis about which the cowl is rotatable.

5. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the cowl deflector wall has a cross-section parallel to the cowl sidewalls in the form of an arc of a circle centred on the horizontal axis about which the cowl is rotatable; and the ra dius of said circle is substantially equal to the dis tance from said horizontal axis to the upper downstream edge of the fixed duct.

6. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the actuation means acts di rectly on the cowl and the movement of the one or more link members caused by the rotation of the cowl rotates the flap.

7. A nozzle substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 125 Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect:(b) New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows:- 1. A vectorable exhaust nozzle for a gas turbine engine having an exhaust orifice and comprising:

a fixed structure including a fixed duct; a cowl which comprises two sidewalls which partially define the exhaust orifice and a deflector wall extending therebetween, the cowl being pivotably attached to the fixed structure to allow the cowl to be rotated from a first position to a second position where the cowl is deployed to deflect an exhaust gas stream flowing through the nozzle; a flap pivotably attached to a downstream edge of the fixed duct, the flap extending between the sidewalls of the duct and partially defining the exhaust orifice; and actuation means for rotating the cowl and flap; wherein the flap is arranged to rotate about an axis downstream of an axis about which the cowl is arranged to rotate and at least one link member is provided which is pivotably attached at one end to the cowl and similarly attached at the other end to the flap and extends therebetween and the cowl, flap and at least one link member are adapted to provide for a substantially constant exhaust orifice area throughout the rotation of the cowl from the first position to the second position.

2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 wherein when the cowl is in the first position the exhaust gas stream issues in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the fixed duct and in the second posi- tion the exhaust gas stream is deflected more than 900.

3. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the cowl deflector wall has a cross-section parallel to the cowl sidewalls in the form of an arc of a circle, the centre of which is located on the axis about which the cowl is rotatable; and the ra dius of said circle is substantially equal to the dis tance from said axis to an upper downstream edge of the fixed duct.

4. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the exhaust orifice is rectan gular.

5. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the pre ceding claims wherein the sidewalls of the cowl are pivotably attached to the fixed structure at a lower region of the fixed duct.

6. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the downstream edge of the flap and the at least one link member are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the exhaust stream issuing from the nozzle.

7. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the fixed duct is scarfed such that the edge to which the flap is attached is upstream of an edge of the fixed duct adjacent to the deflector wall.

8. A nozzle as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the actuation means acts directly on the cowl and acts on the flap through the cowl and at least one link member.

9. A nozzle as substantially described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Printed in the UK for HMSO, D8818935, 2186, 7102.

Published by The Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained.